Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Acquired by Acadian Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. by 105.9% during the 1st quarter, owning a total of 15,366 shares valued at $2.425 million.
• Williams-Sonoma reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the latest quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.79, with a year-over-year revenue increase of 2.7%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.66, representing an annualized yield of 1.3% and a payout ratio of 29.04%.

Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 105.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,366 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 7,904 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,425,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Quarry LP grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 99.0% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 199 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock opened at $200.83 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $125.33 and a 1 year high of $219.98. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $191.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $171.54. The firm has a market cap of $24.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.09, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.52.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $1.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 14.54%.Williams-Sonoma's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.74 EPS. Williams-Sonoma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th were issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 29.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $168.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. UBS Group set a $200.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $199.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP David Randolph King sold 17,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.60, for a total value of $3,563,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 98,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,066,816. The trade was a 15.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.96, for a total value of $675,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,810,196.48. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 51,500 shares of company stock worth $9,284,240. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.

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